Defying Gravity
by Nana Sora
Summary: The new girl at Ouran is definitely something else. For one thing she's an acrobat in a circus! After Mori saves her when he thinks she accidentally fell, he can't seem to stop thinking of her. Could Mori be getting a crush? MoriXOc
1. Chapter 1

"_On the street, where you live, girls talk about their social lives. They're made of lipstick, plastic and paint, a touch of sable in their eyes. All your life all you've asked when's your daddy gonna talk to you. You were living in another world tryin to get your message through."_

The music seemed to pulse from the trees in the garden of Ouran Academy as students gathered around. The crowd buzzed with chatter as a young girl with long, wavy brown hair walked across a high rope that had been strung between two trees. She didn't wear the yellow dress that was Ouran's uniform for girls; instead she wore a simple black tee shirt that had a white butterfly in the center and dark blue, baggy jeans.

As the music continued, the girl began to spin along the rope. The spins quickly turned to back flips, pulling gasps from the students below.

"What in the world is she doing?!"

"I can't watch!"

"What if she falls?!"

The girl crouched lowly to the rope before springing into the air, twirling quickly as she flipped backwards, and then landing safely back on the rope. The crowd's gasps quickly turned to cheers as they clapped for the girl, who just grinned and waved to them.

"Why does this seem so familiar?" Tamaki asked aloud as he and the other hosts watched the girl.

"It's an act from Cirque de la Nuit." Kyouya replied as he pushed his glasses up.

"What's that?" Honey asked as he turned his attention to the taller boy.

"It's a French circus." Kyouya said, "Circus of the night. They're well known for their acrobatic routines."

"Ah yes!" Tamaki exclaimed, "I remember know! I didn't recognize the act without all the lights."

"Lights?" The twins gave him a curious look.

"Oh yes, it's a spectacular show!" He replied with a smile, "The circus is called Cirque de la Nuit for a reason! You see…"

"Circus of the night is just that," Kyouya said as Tamaki rambled on, "They only perform at night. The tent the acrobatic show is in is lit by several black lights while the performers where costumes that glow under the lights. It really is an incredible performance."

Tamaki continued on with his chatter, unaware that no one was listening to him.

"Wouldn't they lose business just performing at night?" Haruhi asked.

"You would think so," Kyouya replied, "but they've built up quite a reputation; their first crowd of the night makes up for their expenses."

The crowd gasped again, grabbing the hosts attention. The girl had missed the rope and was starting to fall. Mori quickly dashed through the crowd, leaping to catch the girl. The girls breath seemed to stop as she felt his long arms wrap around her protectively. They landed hard on the ground as they rolled, Mori covering her as much as he could.

"Takashi!" Honey cried as he and the crowd ran over to him.

Bright blue eyes met dark grey eyes as the girl opened her eyes. She found herself sitting on top of the tall, dark haired boy.

"Um…" She blinked a couple times as she stared at the boy in confusion.

"Are you alright?" Mori asked as he looked up at her.

"Y-yea, I'm fine." She said as she stared at him blankly, "You didn't have to do that you know."

"You were falling though." Mori replied.

The two seemed to be ignoring the roar of the crowd that quickly surrounded them.

"Yea, but you really didn't have to do that." The girl said with an awkward expression, "It was part of the act."

"Act?" Mori stared blankly at the girl as she nodded.

"Takashi!"

"Mori-sempai!"

The hosts pushed their way through the crowd. The girl smiled as she got off Mori.

"Well, thanks for trying to save me Superman." She said with a grin and a wave as she ran back to the trees.

"Wait!" Mori called.

The girl stopped for a moment and looked back at him.

"What's your name?" He asked.

"Jade." She said with a smile as she quickly grabbed a small walkman with speakers from a branch and ran off.

"Do you think she's a student?" The twins asked.

"Maybe," Kyouya said, "I doubt a girl like that could sneak onto campus. Campus security wouldn't allow it."

Everyone nodded except for Mori, who just stared off in the direction the girl had ran off in.

'_She's definitely different.' _Mori thought as he blinked.

-----

"I think you're really going to like it here." A black haired girl named Yuki said with a smile as she led the way to the third floor music room, "I'm just sorry you have to sit next to Kasanoda."

"Oh it's not that bad," Jade said with a smile, "He seems like a pretty nice guy."

"What kind of people have you been around to think _he's _nice?" Yuki asked as she stared at her with wide eyes.

"Let's just say I grew up with some interesting characters." Jade laughed.

"They must be." Yuki said as she opened the door.

"Welcome to the Host Club." Kyouya greeted the girls with a smile, "Oh, you're that girl from this morning, right?"

"Yea," Jade said with a smile. "Nice to see ya."

"Hello Kyouya-sempai." Yuki said with a smile, "Are Mori and Honey free?"

"As a matter of fact they are." Kyouya said as he led the way to a small sitting area near a window.

Jade looked around curiously, wondering why all they boys were dressed in costumes. Today's theme seemed to be Alice in Wonderland. Kyouya was wearing a suit that reminded Jade of a nobleman of some kind, a tall blonde boy seemed to be the Mad Hatter, the twins were dressed as the Cheshire Cat, a brown haired girl was dressed as Alice, and then finally Jades eyes fell on Mori, who was dressed as a knight, and Honey, who was dressed as the White Rabbit.

"Hey it's Superman!" Jade said with a smile as she waved to Mori.

Yuki nudged her gently as she narrowed her eyes, "Be more respectful! They're our sempai's!"

"Huh?" Jade gave her a confused look.

"It's fine." Mori said with a small smile that made Yuki blush.

"Y-you certainly seem talkative today Mori-sempai." Yuki said with a smile as she sat on the couch across from the two boys.

"I do?" He gave her a curious look.

"Takashi had to get up earlier than he's used to today." Honey said with a smile as he poured some tea for them.

Jade sat down next to Yuki as she listened to them chat about this and that. She glanced around at the other club members, wondering why exactly they had created a club like this. After some time had passed, Mori had gotten up to get more sweets for Honey and the girls. Jade sipped her tea, waiting for a moment when Yuki would be quiet long enough for her to respond to anything. It's seemed like every moment Honey would try to ask Jade something, or include her in the conversation, Yuki would interrupt and change the subject.

'_Maybe it's my imagination.' _Jade thought to herself.

"Isn't Mori-sempai the greatest?" Yuki said with a smile as she turned to Jade, finally letting her speak.

"How can you tell?" Jade asked as she arched an eye brow.

Mori, who had just come up behind her, made a small, questioning sound. Jade looked up and her eyes widened as she started waving her hand.

"I don't mean any offense by that, honest!" Jade said as she watched him take his place on the couch opposite of her, "It's just you haven't really said much. It's kinda hard to learn about someone if you don't communicate. You know?"

Mori stared at the brunette in surprise, out of all the girls that had swooned over him and the things he would do with Honey, someone finally admitted they didn't really know him. True, he had only joined the Host Club because Honey had joined, but he did have fun. He would be lying though if he said it never bothered him when girls confessed their love for him when they didn't _really_ know him.

"Mori-sempai's just a quiet guy," Yuki said with a laugh, "You're still new to all this. You'll learn all about the hosts the more you come here."

Jade frowned as she arched an eye brow, giving the black haired girl a questioning look. Yuki just laughed at her once more and Jade just rolled her eyes.

"So girls can join the club?" Jade asked as she motioned towards Haruhi.

Honey and Mori gave each other a quick glance before Yuki burst into laughter again.

"Oh Jade-chan you're so cute!" She giggled, "Haruhi's a boy! He's just the one that looks most like a girl when he wears womens cloths."

Honey and Mori quietly sighed with relief.

"Honestly Jade-chan, it's cute how clueless you are about these things." Yuki said as she giggled again.

"You know what?" Jade said as she stood up, "I may be the new kid at school, but I know when I'm being made fun of. So tell me, what was the point of you inviting me here huh?"

"I'm sorry if I offended you," Yuki said with a smile as she narrowed her eyes, "I'm just teasing you."

"Believe me hun, I know teasing." Jade growled, "Next time you wanna invite me some where, don't blow me off as soon as we get there."

With that she turned around and began to walk to the door.

"Wait Jade-chan!" Honey said as he ran over to her, "Please don't go."

"I think I'll just come back another time, without Yuki." Jade said with a smile.

"Are you sure?" Honey eyes, a disappointed look crossing his face, "I really did want to talk more with you."

"Why are you stopping her Honey-sempai?" Yuki asked with a small pout, "It's obvious she doesn't belong here."

"Excuse me?!" Jade growled as she looked at her.

Jade had spoken louder than she had meant to and now the entire club was watching the scene unfold.

"It's obvious you're a commoner." Yuki said as she stood up and walked over to Jade, "You can't even afford the uniform."

"Listen you little gilly," Jade growled, "I chose _not_ to wear the uniform. What's it matter if I come from money or not?"

"Lady's please—" Tamaki started to say as he came up to them, but was interrupted by Jade.

"No, no, I refuse to take any crap from someone that thinks they're better than me."

"I don't think you realize what kind of school you're in." Yuki hissed, "We're all going to be leaders of the future one day."

"Oh right, cause everyone knows you have to be a spoiled brat to be a leader." Jade growled, "If you're the kind of person this clubs filled with then screw it. I'm not coming back."

With that Jade turned and walked out the door. Yuki, feeling proud of herself, turned back to Honey and Mori who were both looking at her with disappointed expressions.

"I can't believe you were so rude to her." A girl that had been sitting with the twins said, other girls nodding in agreement.

"We're going after Jade-chan." Honey said.

Honey and Mori walked out of the room, leaving the other hosts to let Yuki know she wasn't a welcomed guest anymore. They quickly walked down the stairs and made their way outside. After some time looking around, to their surprise, they found Jade in the parking lot.

"Jade-chan!" Honey called as they ran over to her.

Jade swung her leg over a black motorcycle and looked over to the sound of the voices.

"Jade-chan, we're so sorry about that!" Honey said, slightly out of breath.

Mori nodded as the girl looked from one boy to the other.

"Look, just forget it." Jade said as she kicked the stand back, "Sorry I ruined you're clubs meeting."

"Yuki-chan had no right to say all those things." Honey continued, "Are other customers are nothing like that, I promise."

Jade studied the blondes face for a moment before sighing softly and leaning back on her bike.

"I'm sorry I made such a big deal back there." She said.

"No, no, don't be." Honey said, "You had every right to get upset. Why don't you come back tomorrow and we'll show you what the Host Club's really like?"

Jade considered the offer for a moment then looked up to Mori. The tall boy smiled softly at her.

"Please?" Mori said softly.

"Okay. I'll come back tomorrow," Jade said with a smile, "On one condition though."

"What's that?" Honey asked with a wide smile.

"Superman here has to talk some." Jade said with a grin.

Mori blushed a little and nodded.

"Okay then, I'll see you tomorrow!" Jade chirped.

She started up her motorcycle and slid her helmet on before waving good bye to the two boys. Mori couldn't help smiling as he and Honey watched her leave.

'_She's definitely different from the other girls.' _Mori thought as he and Honey made their way back to the club.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning, Jade entered the classroom with a small sigh. The class was already buzzing with gossip about the events of yesterday at the Host Club.

"Hey are you okay? Kasanoda asked as the brunette took her seat next to him.

"Yea, why?" She asked as she studied his concerned expression.

"Well, it's only your second day and there's already a lot of talk about you." He replied.

"Oh yea?" Jade arched an eyebrow, "Like what?"

"Well, some of the girls are going around saying you purposely got another girl kicked out of the Host Club." Kasanoda said, "There's been some talk about them trying to get the other girls to isolate you."

"Whatever," Jade said with a shrug, "If they actually do start doing that its just proof I don't need to hang around them."

Kasanoda blinked in surprise at the girl's response. Not only was this girl the first person to actually talk to him and not run in the opposite direction, she didn't seem to be fazed by the idea of being by herself.

"So then you're okay?" He asked as he stared at her curiously.

"I'm fine." Jade said with a smile, "Don't worry about me okay Red?"

Kasanoda blushed slightly as he blinked a couple times. It was such a strange thing for him. Not only was he talking to one of his classmates, he was talking to a _girl_. He was so used to everyone being afraid of him. He didn't really know what to think.

-----

Later that afternoon, Jade sat with Mori and Honey in the garden of Ouran Academy. The Host Club had already started and to Jade's surprise all the hosts were rather warm and welcoming. Some, like Tamaki and the twins, seemed a bit strange to her, but none the less, they seemed like a group of nice guys.

"Would you like some cake Jade-chan?" Honey asked with a smile as he offered the small plate to her.

"Sure, thank you." Jade said with a smile as she took the cake, "Hey, can I ask you guys something?"

"Of course!" Honey smiled.

"What the deal with the twins over there?" She asked as she motioned to them.

Hikaru had his arms wrapped around his brother, leaning closer to him as his twin blushed and looked away shyly. Their customers squealed loudly as they clung to each other.

"I didn't really peg them for the twincest type." Jade continued as she tipped her head curiously.

"Actually," Honey whispered as he leaned closer to her, "they're just pretending."

"Really?" Jade looked at him in surprise.

Honey nodded and smiled, "Kyouya says it's really popular."

"Maybe that's why the acts so popular." Jade muttered.

"Act?" Honey looked at her curiously.

"Oh, sorry," Jade laughed, "I meant the acrobatic act me and Jesse have."

"So you _are _an acrobat!" Honey chirped happily, "Are you part of a circus?"

"Yea, actually I was part of Cirque de la Nuit." Jade said with a weak smile, "There were some issues with my mom though, so I left to move in with her."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Honey replied with a concerned look, "Is everything okay?"

"It's just gonna take some time is all." Jade said as she waved her hand, "What about you, Superman? Hm?"

Mori jumped slightly as Jade chuckled.

"I said I'd come today as long as you'd talk some," She said with a smile, "You haven't really said anything."

"S-sorry." Mori stuttered as he looked at his tea cup awkwardly.

"Don't be." Jade laughed, "Let me guess, you're just quiet by nature right?"

Mori nodded as he looked up at her.

"Takashi talks more when he's tired." Honey said with a smile.

"Oh, I see," Jade smiled, "Do you have any other clubs Mo-ri sem-pai?"

A faint pink color rose in Mori's cheeks as the girl carefully pronounced his name. Jade smiled as she waited for his reply.

"I'm in the kendo club." Mori replied.

"Kendo?" Jade looked at him curiously, "Isn't that—"

She was interrupted by the sound of her cell phone ringing. She muttered some apology as she grabbed her bag and started digging through it.

"Hello?" She said when she finally found it. There was a pause as her eyes widened, "Why did you—forget it. I'll be there in ten minutes."

Mori and Honey watched her curiously as she dropped the phone back into her bag.

"Stupid gilly." She muttered.

"You called Yuki-chan a gilly yesterday," Honey said as he looked at her curiously. "What's a gilly?"

"Oh, sorry, sorry," Jade said as she waved her hand, "Growing up in a circus I guess I picked up their terms. A gilly is a person that's not from the circus, they wouldn't really understand us."

"Is everything okay?" Mori asked.

"I-it'll be fine," Jade said with a forced smile, "I'm gonna have to go though. I'll catch you guys some other time, okay?"

Jade waved to them and ran off towards the parking lot.

Within a few minutes, Jade pulled up to a small bar. Outside the bar was a black haired woman with bright blue eyes. Jade pulled her helmet off as she walked over to the woman, quickly regretting the act.

"Mom you reek!" Jade hissed, "What'd you do? Swim in alcohol?"

"Jadey!!" the woman, Alyson, cheered, "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be in class?"

"Class ended a while ago mom." Jade said as she covered her nose, "How many drinks have you had?"

"I lost count ages ago Jadey," Alyson giggled as she swaggered over to her daughter.

Jade sighed and lead her mother to a bench near the entrance. She dropped a couple coins into a pay phone and called a taxi.

"Stay here mom." Jade said sternly as her mother giggled.

Jade pushed the door open and walked into the smoke hazed bar. She looked around as she scanned the area for someone that may be working there. Her blue eyes fell on a tall man who was wiping the counter off.

"No minors miss." The man said as he watched Jade walk up to him.

"Did you see a black haired lady in here with eyes like mine?" Jade asked, knowing the answer.

"Yes why?"

"Then you're a damn idiot you stupid gilly!" Jade shouted, "My mom's in alcoholics anonymous and this is the third time you've let her get wasted! Is it honestly that hard to remember that?! I gave you a picture of her and everything!"

"Nice to see you again Sparky." A large, gruff man said with a smile as he patted Jade's shoulder.

"Hi Akihito." Jade smiled then turned her attention back to the bar tender, "What am I supposed to tell her sponsor huh?"

"Go easy on the new guy, Jade." Another man said with a laugh, "You're mother's a hard woman to say no to."

"You're not helping!" Jade shouted, "I can't watch my mom while I'm at school!"

The men of the bar laughed as some of then ruffled Jades hair.

"You're so cute when you're mad!"

"She's just like her mother."

"You gilly's aren't helping anything!" Jade growled as she pouted.

The men teased and laughed at Jade as she growled in frustration. She knew most of these men from when she was a little kid, before she had joined the circus. They often enjoyed teasing her and trying to make her mad.

"Relax Sparky," Akihito said with a smile, "We'll keep your mom in line when you're in school."

"That doesn't help anything!" Jade shouted. "She's not supposed to be drinking!"

"We're just gonna wean her off the stuff." Another man said as he sipped his own drink.

"Jadey!" Alyson cooed as she poked her head into the bar, "A man in a taxi car is here!"

Jade sighed and looked back at the men, "Just keep her out of trouble when I can't watch her."

"Take care kiddo!" The men called as she walked out of the bar.

"Here," Jade said as she gave the taxi driver the address for her apartment, "Just take her here and I'll fallow behind you."


	3. Chapter 3

"…_To be real! Ooh, your love's for real now. You know that your love is my love, my love is your love; our love is here to stay!"_

Jade woke with a start as the music echoed through the small apartment. She groaned as she pushed her curled, frizzing hair from her face and saw the red 5:30 glow from the clock in her dimly lit room.

"_What you find-ah! What you feel now!" _Her mother sang loudly, dancing in place as she put the paint to the canvas.

"Mooooooooommm," Jade groaned as she leaned against the door frame of her room.

"Morning Sunshine!" Alyson chirped happily.

"Do you have any idea what time it is?" Jade groggily asked.

"Oh come on, it's not _that _early." Alyson said with a smile, "Coffee's on the counter. Besides, didn't you get up early working in the circus?"

"Mom, its Circus of the Night. Hence: _night_!" Jade grumbled as she waddled off to the kitchen.

A month had passed since she had left Cirque de la Nuit to live with her mother. Her mother was an artist with her own gallery down town. Alyson was also an alcoholic. Jade decided she would be the one to leave the circus, of which her father ran, and she would be the one to make sure her mother didn't fall off the wagon again.

After a couple hours had passed there was a knock on the door. It was the same knock that came every school morning for the past couple weeks.

"Your boyfriends here Jadey!" Alyson called with a smile.

"He's not my boyfriend!" Jade hissed as she grabbed the bagel from the toaster as it popped out.

"He sure comes around a lot. Are you sure?" Alyson teased.

"Yes mom." Jade said, rolling her eyes as she slid her shoes on, "I'll be back after school."

Jade quickly stepped out of the apartment with a sigh.

"You look like hell." Kasanoda said as he blinked.

Still feeling tired, Jade had pulled her frizzing hair back into a pony tail and grabbed a baggy shirt that had belonged to her brother. The baggy jeans she wore were tattered at the ends and had a rip in the knee.

"You sure know how to sweet talk a girl, Red." Jade said with a chuckle.

"I-I didn't mean it in a bad way or anything!" Kasanoda said as he waved his hand, panicking a bit.

"Relax, have a bagel." She said as she handed him the second half of her bagel, "Mom woke me up a couple hours ago, so I didn't get much sleep."

"How'd she do that?" Kasanoda asked as he took a bite.

The two conversed over their mornings as they walked to school together.

Jade was surprised the first morning Kasanoda showed up on her door step. He had told her it was because her apartment was on his way to the school so he figured they should walk together. He didn't mention the fact he didn't think it was a good idea for a girl to be walking around by herself. Ever since then, they've walked to school together and Jade would share her breakfast with him. Jade was glad she had met him, he reminded her of her brother Jesse. Maybe that's why they became so close so fast.

Later that day, during lunch, Jade sat next to Kasanoda, reading the newest issue of Shonen Jump over his shoulder.

"They're kind of cute together, don't you think?" A girl said quietly from the other side of the room.

"Yea, they fit each other pretty well."

"Excuse me?" A deep voice said from behind them.

The girls looked up to see Mori standing in the door frame. They squeaked as a blush crossed their cheeks.

"What brings you to our class Mori-sempai?" One of the girls asked.

"Is Jade Grey in this class?" Mori asked.

"Jade-chan!" The other girl called as she waved her hand.

Jade and Kasanoda looked up. Jade smiled and excused herself as she ran over to Mori.

"Hey there Superman," She said as she fallowed him into the hall, "Where's Honey-sempai?"

"He had to take a make up test." Mori said.

This was a lie, told by Honey to Mori. The truth was Honey thought it was best that this particular visit was made by Mori by himself. This didn't stop him from watching from a safe distance though and once the other hosts found out, they wanted to watch as well.

"I can't believe Mori-sempai's actually going to ask her on a date!" Hikaru exclaimed quietly as he and the others watched from around a corner.

"Shh! Hika-chan be quiet!" Honey whispered, "Takashi can't know we're watching!"

"I never knew Mori-sempai had a crush." Tamaki said as he watched them with fascination, "Considering how quiet he is, its interesting to see Jade's his type."

"They do say opposites attract." Kyouya, who was on the other side of the group, not watching, said as he turned the page of his book.

"Do you really think you should be watching them?" Haruhi asked as she watched the other hosts.

"Shh!" Honey hissed again before turning his attention back to his friend.

"Sunday?" Jade repeated questioningly, "No, I think I'm free. Why?"

Mori was beginning to glow as red as a stop light as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"The other day, you said that you missed being in the circus." He said as he glanced at her, "I found out Cirque de la Nuit was going to be in the next town over, so I thought maybe… if you wanted to…"

Mori's face grew several darker shades of red as fumbled for his words. '_We can go.' _Mori though, _'That's all I have to say. We can go, why can't I say that?' _Mori felt as if his heart was going to beat out of his chest as he tried to force the words out.

"You okay Superman?" Jade asked as she gave him a curious look, "You're all red."

Jade's comment of Mori blushing didn't help his nervousness. In fact it made him blush even more, if it were possible. Mori swallowed hard as he pulled two tickets out of his pocket and showed them to her, hoping she would understand.

Jade blinked a couple of times as she stared at the long, narrow slips of paper with a silhouette of a circus tent on them. _Cirque de la Nuit _was written in fancy, curling silver letters across the tent.

"Are you saying one of those tickets is mine?" Jade asked as she looked up at Mori.

Mori nodded, "W-we can go… If you want."

Jade stared at Mori, blinking a couple times as the idea registered in her brain.

"Why isn't she saying anything?" Kaoru asked quietly.

"Maybe she's going to turn him down." Hikaru replied.

"Don't say such things! Mori-sempai would be devastated!" Tamaki exclaimed as he looked at the twins with wide eyes.

"Shh!" Honey hissed, not taking his eyes away from Mori and Jade.

'_Why isn't she saying anything?' _Mori thought, feeling like his heart was going to jump out of his chest, _'Did I freak her out? Maybe I'm asking her too soon. Maybe—'_

All Mori's thoughts were stopped as Jade squealed loudly and threw her arms around him in a tight hug as she nearly tackled him to the ground.

"You're the greatest Superman!" Jade cheered as she unconsciously nuzzled his chest, a wide grin spreading across her face.

Mori released a breath he didn't know he was holding as he smiled and wrapped his arms around her, returning the hug.

"Alright Mori-sempai!" Tamaki and the twins cheered before being pushed back around the corner by Honey.

Mori looked over, thinking he heard his name. He shrugged it off when he didn't see anyone he recognized.

"I can't believe you did this for me Mori-sempai!" Jade said with a grin as she let him go.

The two continued to chat; unaware they were being watched by another, smaller, group. A senior girl, Ichigo Kirijo, was watching from the other end of the hall with two of her friends. She was a tall girl with long blonde hair and dark eyes. She glared at Jade as she watched her laugh with Mori.

"Who does she think she is?" Ichigo said aloud, "A circus freak like that doesn't belong here at Ouran. She certainly doesn't belong with Mori. Just who does she think she is hanging on him like that?"

"She certainly doesn't compare to you." Mimi, a short black haired girl, said as she looked up at Ichigo.

"I don't think she's much of a threat." The other girl, Kari, said as she turned her attention to her friends, "I heard some first years saying something about her dating that Kasanoda boy."

"You mean the boy from the mob family?" Ichigo asked.

"It's just rumors, but it wouldn't be too far of a stretch for the imagination." Kari stated, "After all, they do spend a lot of time together. I hear they even walk to and from school together."

"Is that so?" Ichigo said with a smile, "You just gave me a brilliant idea Kari-chan."


	4. Chapter 4

Sunday quickly came and Alyson watched in amusement as Jade scurried around their apartment. _'My daughter has her first date.' _She mused, _'I can't believe she's old enough to date now! The last time I saw her she was six and now she's sixteen… I can't believe how fast the times gone by.'_

Jade looked over at her mother when she heard her laugh quietly.

"What's so funny?" Jade asked as she picked up her black biker-like boots.

"Don't you think that's a bit eccentric dear?" Alyson asked, referring to the cloths Jade was wearing.

Jade looked down at her skinny black jeans that had a pink tutu-like skirt over it, the white tank top that was under the black leather biker vest and silver bangles that covered her wrists.

"What are you talking about?" Jade asked as she blinked.

"Well it is your first date." Alyson giggled, "Do you honestly want Mori to think you're a ballerina biker?"

Jade shrugged as she pulled her hair back with a white scrunchy, "So what, I dress like this and he's going to leave me here and never talk to me again?"

'_I hope that's not true.'_ Jade thought to herself.

"Well, some boys are like that." Alyson said, and then continued quickly as her daughter gave her a shocked look, "I doubt that this boy will be like that though. I'm only teasing you Jadey."

"Did that ever happen with you and dad?" Jade asked, as she gave her mother a concerned look.

"Oh no, no, no," Alyson said as she shook her head. "Jadey you know your father and I are still married—"

"I know, I know," Jade said, "You were tired of never staying in the same place but didn't want dad to quit the circus. I know that, but was dad ever that shallow?"

"No Jade," Her mother said with a smile, "The guys I dated before your father were like that, you're father was the one I knew would stay with me no matter what. That's why—"

There was a knock at the door that made Jade jump.

"Sounds like you're dates here." Alyson said with a smile.

"J-just a sec!" Jade shouted as she ran back to her room.

Alyson smiled as she opened the door, "Come on in."

Mori blinked a couple times before nodding and walking into the apartment. He held a small bouquet of wild flowers in several colors.

"So you must be this Mori boy I've heard so much about." Alyson smiled, "It's nice to finally meet you. I'm Alyson Grey."

"Hello, my name is Takashi Morinozuka." Mori said with a boy.

"My, aren't you formal!" Alyson exclaimed with wide eyes as she laughed, "Relax, relax, Jade told me that most the kids from Ouran were upper class."

Mori looked at her as he straightened up. He didn't know what to do exactly; he was so nervous about this date he didn't have much sleep.

Mori jumped when the phone rang.

"I'll grab it!" Jade called as she came down the hall. "Hello?"

There was a pause.

"Hey, Red," Jade said, "Can I call you back later? I'm heading out right now."

Another pause.

"Okay, see ya."

There was a small beep and Jade came into the living room with a smile, "Hey there Superman!"

"Hello." Mori said with a smile.

He suppressed a small laugh as he saw Jade's outfit. She was the only girl he knew that would ever dress like that. Most the other girls he knew would go on and on with fashion talk, a topic he had little interest in.

"Was that Kasanoda?" Alyson asked curiously.

"Yea," Jade replied, "I'll call him back later."

'_Kasanoda?' _Mori thought curiously as he thought of the red haired boy. _'I know they're friends, but I didn't think they had already exchanged phone numbers…' _

Mori ignored the strange turning in his stomach as he handed the flowers to Jade.

"I thought you might like these." He said with a smile.

"Oh wow!" Jade exclaimed with a smile as she took them, "They're beautiful Mori-sempai!"

Mori's smile widened a bit as Jade sniffed the flowers. Alyson smiled as she took the flowers from her.

"You two go on, I'll put these in water for you."

"Thanks mom." Jade said with a smile.

-----

The ride to Cirque de la Nuit was filled with chatter and laughter as Mori and Jade talked about this and that.

"You've got to be tired Superman." Jade laughed.

"What makes you say that?" Mori asked.

"Cause you're talking so much," Jade said, "and you're flirting a bit too."

"Am I?" Mori asked with a smile.

Jade laughed as a small blush crossed her cheeks. Mori chuckled as he watched her. The limo slowed to a halt and Mori looked to the driver curiously. A knock on him window made him jump slightly. He rolled the window down to see a balding man with a cigar between his teeth.

"Look kid, I don't care how much money ya got, the circus ain't open—"

"Hi Wally!" Jade said with a grin as she leaned over Mori to peek out the window.

"Little Butterfly!!!" The man exclaimed, nearly dropping the cigar from his mouth.

The driver quickly got out of the limo and opened the door for the two teens. Jade quickly hugged the man, who picked her up and twirled her around.

"God it's great to see ya kiddo! It's been ages!" Wally said with a grin as he set her down.

"I know right?!" Jade grinned.

Mori smiled as he watched the two.

"Wally this is Mori, Mori-sempai this is Wally." Jade said with a smile, "Wally is one of the guys that help us set up and tear down the tents and everything."

"It's nice to meet you." Mori said as he started to bow.

Wally grabbed Mori's hand and squeezed it hard as he shook it, "So _you're_ Superman huh? Nice to meet ya kid!"

Mori made a small acknowledging sound as he tried to regain the feeling in his hand.

"Where's everyone at Wally?" Jade asked.

"All over Butterfly," Wally laughed, "I think I saw Jesse over in the main tent."

"Thank you!" Jade exclaimed as she grabbed Mori's hand and began to lead him to a large tent.

Mori blushed slightly as he noted how small her hand was compared to his own, though to his surprise, her hand was a little rough. Jade released his hand and began to walk backwards as she grinned.

"You've got no idea how much this means to me Superman." She said. "Thanks for doing this."

"I'm glad you like it." He said with a smile.

That's when Mori notices a tall boy with short black hair and brown eyes sneaking up behind Jade. The boy motioned for him to be quiet. As Jade opened her mouth to say something the boy suddenly grabbed her and lifted her into the air.

"And the monster attacks!!" He shouted as Jade yelped and thrashed around.

The boy set her down as he laughed. Jade, wide eyed, turned to face him. Her eyes then lit up as she tackled him, hugging him tightly.

"Jesse!!" She cheered as they fell to the ground.

Jade scampered up and introduced Mori to her twin brother. And so went the rest of the day, Jade running to the people she had been in the circus with and introducing them to Mori.

Mori received his biggest shock after an hour or so.

"So you're the young man that's dating my daughter, hm?" A low, gruff voice said from behind him.

Mori turned and came eye level to a man's chest. He looked up and realized this man was more than twice his size. Mori blinked as all words escaped him. For as long as he could remember he had always been at least the tallest person in the room, but this man made him seem as if he were Haruhi's size.

"What's the matter son?" The man asked with a smirk, "You're dating my little girl right?"

"Y-yes." Mori croaked.

"Jon-Jon what are you doing?" Jade asked as she walked up behind him.

"Oh, hello Butterfly!" Jon-Jon said with a smile, "I was just introducing myself to this young man."

"As Dad." Jesse snickered with some of the other performers.

Jade smacked the mans arm with the back of her hand, "What're you doing that for?"

"It's okay Jadey," A tall man with short, slicked back hair said as he patted her shoulder.

Mori looked at the man with a confused expression.

"I'm Elliot," He said with a smile as he put his hand out, "I'm Jade's real father."

"I-it's nice to meet you sir." Mori said with a relieved expression.

"Oh Jadey," Elliot said, "We have everything all set up for the acrobatic acts tonight. Would you like to show this young man?"

"Can I?!" Jade exclaimed as she lit up, "You don't mind, right Mori-sempai?"

Mori smiled, "Go ahead."

Jade squealed and took her vest off as she ran to the latter that lead to the tight rope. Elliot and Jesse smiled as they watcher her struggle to get her boots off.

"Thanks for watching out for her." Jesse said as he looked up at Mori, "It means a lot to us."

"Indeed." Elliot said with a nod, "And thanks for trying to save her, even if she didn't need it."

"It's not a problem." Mori said with a smile.

"Yea if it weren't for you and that Casanova guy we'd be more worried." Jesse said.

"Casanova?" Mori looked at him curiously.

"Yea, she calls him Red a lot." Jesse said.

'_Kasanoda?' _Mori thought to himself.

"Jesse!" Jade called from the center of the tight rope, "Let's do one of our acts!"

"Yea!" He cheered as she ran off to join her on the rope.

Mori spent the remainder of the day at Cirque de la Nuit watching Jade flip and twirl through the air as he chatted with her father, her father doing most the talking. Mori could see why everyone called her Butterfly. It's what she resembled when she flew threw the air. When Jade finally came back down, she ran to Mori and hugged him tightly.

"Thank you so much!" Jade said as she grinned at him.

Mori smiled and returned the hug.

-----

Later that night, while the two teens were on their way home, Jade was sleeping quietly as she leaned on Mori's shoulder. Mori smiled as he gently placed his hand over hers. He watched the trees pass as his mind wandered over the events of the day. He smiled and turned his attention back to the girl that was sleeping on his arm. It was funny how quickly Mori had developed a crush on this girl. He couldn't help wondering how his own parents would react when they would meet her.


	5. Chapter 5

"…Oh my god it was so great!" Jade beamed as she and Kasanoda walked down the hallway to their class.

"It sounds like you had a lot of fun." Kasanoda chuckled.

"I did." Jade sighed contently, "I don't think he realizes how much it meant to me to see everyone."

"I think he has an idea." Kasanoda replied as he set his bag on his desk.

"Look, look! There she is." A girl hissed, "Jade-chan! Is it true you used to be part of a circus?"

"Yea, why?" Jade asked as she looked at the girl curiously.

"Can you show us something?" She asked as two other girls cheered in with a "Please?"

"Yea, why not?" Jade grinned as she set her bag down and pulled her chair out and motioned to the chair, "Hey Ritsu, keep your weight on the seat here."

Kasanoda nodded, shifting his weight to his knee as he leaned on the chair's seat. Jade used him as a balance as she climbed onto the back of the chair. After gaining her balance, Jade raised her left leg high into the air and took it in her right hand. Once she was sure she had her balance again she began to twirl as if she were a ballerina before leaping off the chair with a single flip and landing on the opposite foot on the back of the chair again. Jade grinned as some of the students clapped for her, but the girls who had asked her to show them burst into laughter.

"God what a freak!"

"I know right?"

"I can't believe she spread her legs like that in front of so many boys!"

Jade stared at the girls in confusion as Kasanoda glared at them.

"What the hell?!" He spat as he took his knee from the chair, stepping towards the girls.

Jade yelped as the chair fell back and she toppled over the desk and chair behind her. Kasanoda turned quickly as a loud snap echoed through the crash.

"Jade!" Kasanoda exclaimed as he ran to her, "I'm so sorry! Are you alright?!"

"Ow…" Jade hissed as she lifted herself from the broken chair, "I hope that snap was the chair."

"God I'm so sorry-"

"It's fi-AHH!" Jade doubled over as she held her ankle.

The class was silent as they watched the red head crouch down, turning his back to the girl.

"Get on my back; I'm taking you to the nurse." Kasanoda said as he watched her over his shoulder.

"I-its fine, I can just wa-AHH!" Jade had tried to get up again but ended up doubled over holding her ankle again.

"Don't be stubborn! You can't even get up!" Kasanoda hissed, "It's my fault you got hurt so let me carry you to the nurse!"

Jade glared at her ankle as tears stung her eyes. Reluctantly, she got onto Kasanoda's back, hissing at the pressure that had been put on her ankle to do so.

"I shouldn't have reacted like that. If I hadn't you wouldn't have gotten hurt." Kasanoda said as he walked to the door.

"It's not your fault Red." Jade said with a sigh as she blushed, "I shouldn't have listened to those girls. They were probably friends with Yuki. God I've never been so embarrassed…"

Jade sighed in frustration as she placed her forehead on Kasanoda's shoulder, trying to hide her reddening face.

Mori walked down the hall, making his way to Jade's class as he smiled to himself. Jade had dropped her cell phone in his limo and he was on his way to give it back to her. As he turned the corner he saw Kasanoda carrying a blushing Jade on his back. Mori froze as he saw Jade press her forehead to Kasanoda's shoulder. A twinge of pain gripped his chest for a moment.

'_Why would Jade let him carry her like that?' _He thought to himself.

"Those two are so cute together don't you think Kari?" A short, black haired girl said to her friend.

"You're right Mimi." The brown haired girl said with a smile, "I wonder if they're dating?"

Mori glanced at the girls then back to Jade. His chest seemed to tighten as he sighed and walked back to his class.

---

Later that day, after lunch, Jade limped back to her desk. She sighed as she sat down, wondering how she would get home. Luckily, her ankle wasn't broken, but it was twisted. As she placed her hand in her desk she noticed a small note.

"_Jade-chan, I need to talk to you after school. Can you meet me by the fountain in the courtyard? Please don't bring this up in class; I need to say something and I don't want to lose my nerve._

_-Ritsu Kasanoda"_

'_Jade-chan?' _Jade thought as she glanced to the red head, who was glaring at the girls from that morning, _'Since when does he call me 'Jade-chan'? And why's he being so formal?' _

---

Mori and Honey sat with a tall, blonde girl after school. The host club had just begun and for some reason this girl had been insisting on sitting at a table near the window.

"How have you been Ichigo-chan?" Honey asked with a smile as he poured some tea for her.

"Oh, I've been great. What about you two?" She replied with a smile.

Mori turned his attention to the window as he listened to the two chat. It was then that he noticed Jade standing by the fountain. Mori wondered what she had been doing there until he saw Kasanoda walk up to her. He watched as Jade handed Kasanoda a piece of paper.

"Oh my," Ichigo said with a smile, "I guess all those rumors are true."

"Rumors?" Honey looked at her curiously then turned his attention to the window as well.

"Oh yes," Ichigo laughed softly, "I heard that those two were dating, I guess that must be a letter of confession. Don't you think so Mori?"

"Excuse me." Mori said with a bow as he got up and walked to the door.

"Takashi!" Honey called as he started to run after him.

Mori gave him a sad, pleading look, hoping Honey wouldn't fallow him.

"What's going on?" The twins asked as they looked over the couch at them.

Mori walked out of the room as Honey looked from Mori to the twins.

"Jade-chan gave Kasanoda a letter. Takashi thinks she confessed to him." Honey said with a worried expression.

"Oh poor Mori-sempai!" A girl said as she looked at Honey with a sad expression, "I thought Jade really liked him."

"So did I." Another girl stated.

"Oh really?" Ichigo said with fake concern, "I heard that she and Kasanoda were spending an awful lot of time together."

Kyouya eyed Ichigo carefully as Tamaki tried to divert the girl's attention away from Mori's situation.

"Kaoru, Hikaru," He said quietly, getting the twins attention, "I need to talk with you after we clean up."

The twins glanced at each other then back to Kyouya, wondering what was on his mind.

Meanwhile, down in the courtyard, Jade was fuming as Kasanoda tried to calm her down.

"Seriously!" Jade hissed, "What was the point of giving us the same letters with our names on them? Who would do that?"

"Jade, calm down." Kasanoda said as he watched her crumble the papers up, "It was probably a bad joke."

Jade sighed in aggravation, "God what a day. I lose my cell, twist my ankle, then this. At least Mori didn't see this. He could have taken it the wrong way."

"No kidding." Kasanoda nodded, "By the way, were you serious in the nurse's office?"

"Huh?"

"You said you wanted to do something for Mori-sempai right?" Kasanoda said, "I heard he has a Kendo match Sunday. Why don't you make him a bento?"

"That's a great idea!" Jade said, "But there's one problem."

"What's that?"

"I can't cook to save my life." Jade blinked. "Seriously, unless it goes in the toaster or all you do is poor milk over it I'm screwed. Hell, I burn Hot Pockets!"

"I'll teach you to cook." Kasanoda offered, "You have six days, I can teach you simple things."

---

And so it went, the next six days Kasanoda went to Jades house to teach her to cook. Saturday night when Jade tried to make Mori's bento lunch, it was as if Kasanoda had never been there. Jade sighed in frustration as she walked into the grocery store. After getting all the ingredients again, she made her way to the check out line and was surprised to see Haruhi there.

"Hey, you're part of the Host Club aren't you?" Jade asked.

Haruhi turned to see Jade with an armful of things. Luckily, Haruhi had grabbed a sweater of her fathers that was slightly baggy and a little long on her.

"Oh, yea, you're Jade right?" Haruhi replied.

"Yea," Jade said with a smile, "How's Mori been?"

"That's kind of cold, don't you think?" Haruhi asked as she frowned a bit.

As far as she and most of the other members of the club knew, she was dating Kasanoda now.

"Cold?" Jade gave her a confused look, "I know I haven't been there all week, but that's cause Kasanoda's been teaching me to cook. I wanted to make a bento lunch box for Mori since he has a kendo thing tomorrow."

"You mean that's what that was about?" Haruhi replied with a surprised look.

"That's what _what_ was about?" Jade asked, her confusion growing.

The girls explained what each of them was talking about as Haruhi walked Jade home.

"Oh god," Jade sighed as she put her hand to her forehead, "Mori probably thinks I'm trying to two time him. He's going to hate me."

"He won't hate you," Haruhi said with a smile, "Just tell him what you told me. It was just a big misunderstanding."

"Are you sure?" Jade asked with a concerned look.

Haruhi nodded with a smile.

"Thanks Haruhi." Jade smiled, "This is my place here. Thanks for walking with me."

"No problem," Haruhi replied, "You actually live pretty close to my apartment. It's just a couple blocks that way."

"Wow really?" Jade looked at her with a smile, "We should hang out sometime."

"Sure."

After the girls said their goodbyes, Jade set to making Mori's lunch once again. When she was finally satisfied with how it turned out, Jade saw that it was four in the morning.

'_God, I'm never going to get up in time.' _Jade yawned as she lay down on the couch. _'I should just stay up. I'll just shut my eyes for a few minutes.' _

When Jade opened her eyes again it was early afternoon. Panic swept through her as she quickly jumped up and grabbed the bento box and dashed out of the apartment.

'_Crap I don't think I'm going to make it!' _Jade panicked as she quickly turned the corner, nearly tripping over a little kid.

"I'm sorry!" Jade gasped as she checked to make sure the kid was alright.

"Kenji!" A woman across the street called, "Get back over here! You know you're not supposed to cross the street by yourself!"

This was understandable, Jade mentally noted. After all, the little boy didn't look any older than four.

"Is that your Mommy?" Jade asked.

The boy nodded.

"Come on, I'll take you back across the street to her." She said as she offered her hand.

After noting no cars were coming, Jade began to lead the child across the street. Screeching tires echoed through the air, catching Jades attention. Jade turned her head to see a speeding car swerve around the corner. Her eyes widened as things suddenly seemed to slow down. She dropped the bento box as she crouched down and covered the little boy with her body. The mothers scream and blaring horn rang through the air.


	6. Chapter 6

"Crazy kid! Stay out of the road!" The woman behind the wheel yelled.

"Why don't you go the speed limit!" The mother yelled back as she ran to the crying child and Jade.

Jade looked up to see the car had stopped within inches of her and little kid. Her stomach seemed to turn as she felt the heat of the car against her arms and back.

"Miss?" The mother said, giving Jade a concerned look.

"Huh?" Jade looked up at the woman who was now holding the child.

"Miss are you alright?" The mother asked.

"Y-yea, I think so…" Jade said as she slowly got up.

"Bento." The little boy sniffed as he pointed to the box.

"Huh?" Jade looked down at the box and gasped, "Oh no!"

She quickly picked up the box and looked inside to find that everything was surprisingly in tact, a little jumbled, but still much like how she had originally put it together. Jade sighed in relief then jumped when the horn behind her blared.

"Move it!" The woman hissed, "I have somewhere I need to be!"

Jade glared at the woman as the mother pulled a cell phone from her pocket. The woman behind the wheel sighed in aggravation before quickly putting the car in reverse. With a shifting motion and squeal of tires the woman sped around the three bodies before driving off.

"Crazy gilly." Jade muttered.

"Thank you for trying to protect my son." The woman said with a smile, "Are you sure your alright?"

"I'm fine ma'am," Jade said with a forced smile as she put the lid back on the bento box. "I have to get going though, I'm late enough as it is."

With a wave Jade began running to Ouran again.

'_It's not like its not edible, right?' _Jade thought with a sigh.

-----

Meanwhile, at Ouran, Mori was finishing his last match before lunch. Cheers from fellow team mates and several girls erupted when the referee declared Mori the winner of the match.

"That was great Takashi!" Honey cheered as he handed Mori his water bottle.

"Thanks," Mori said before finishing off his water.

"M-Mori-sempai…" A shy looking girl muttered as she looked around nervously before looking up at him.

"I'll go get you more water, Takashi." Honey said with a smile as he took the water bottle from Mori.

In mere moment Mori was suddenly swarmed by a group of girls. He looked over the crowd, attempting to find Jade but couldn't see her anywhere.

'_Maybe she's with Kasanoda…' _He thought with a frown.

"Mori-kun!" Ichigo smiled sweetly as she pushed her way through the crowd, "That was a great match! Why don't we have lunch together?"

Jade ran though the court yard to the gymnasium the matches were being held in.

"You've gotta be kidding!" She hissed, trying to catch her breath as she saw the large crowd blocking the door.

Kari, who had been keeping an eye out for Jade, saw the brunette walking up to the crowd. When she saw the bento box she quickly walked up to her then, pretending to trip, bumped hard into her. Jade stumbled and dropped the bento box when the girl collided with her.

"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry!" Kari said as put her hands to her mouth.

Jade looked down at the bento box, the contents now scattered across the pavement. The hard boiled eggs Jade tried to make look like chicks still in their eggs were broken, the rice that had seaweed letters was mixed together, the rolled sushi had broken apart, and the steamed buns and octopus looking sausages were covered with dirt.

How could the lunch survive a new car collision, but not a girl?

"Oh no, I ruined your bento." Kari said, faking an apologetic tone.

Jade slowly picked up the box, tears stinging her eyes as she saw the single bite of rice that remained.

"Oh, there's Ichigo!" Kari smiled, "I'm sorry about your bento, but I have to meet my friend and her boyfriend Mori."

"Mori?" Jade looked up at the girl.

"Oh yes," Kari smiled, "She and Mori spent all last week together, I guess they've gotten really close because when she asked him out he told her yes."

'_No way.' _Jade thought, _'Superman wouldn't do something like that… right?' _

Jade looked over to the crowd to see a smiling blonde girl clinging to Mori's arm as he was saying something to her. Jade felt her chest tighten as a sharp pain washed over her heart. She began to shake as she tried to choke back tears.

"Jade-chan!" Honey chirped happily as he started to wave.

Jade quickly turned around and ran past Honey, dropping the bento box as tears streamed down her cheeks.

"Jade-chan?" Honey looked at her then the lunch on the ground.

Honey crouched down to the lunch, picking up one of the crudely cut letters and examining it.

"Ichigo please," Mori said as he took his arm away from her, "I've asked you twice not to cling to me like that. Please don't make me ask again."

"I'm sorry Mori-kun, I just didn't want to lose you in the crowd." Ichigo replied.

Mori opened his mouth to say something then stopped when he heard Honey calling him. Mori walked over to the blonde boy and gave him a confused look when he saw the lunch on the ground.

"What are you doing Mitsukuni?" He asked.

"I think Jade made this," Honey said, "She dropped the box over there and ran off. I think she was crying."

"Crying?" Mori repeated as he picked up the box.

"Yea, and look." Honey said as he pointed to the crudely cut seaweed letters.

Mori looked down to see _'GOOD LUCK SUPERMAN' _written with seaweed.

"Which way did she go?" Mori asked.

-----

"W-why am I crying s-so much?" Jade sobbed as she wiped her eyes.

As soon as Jade got back to her house she called Kasanoda who came over as soon as he heard her crying. Jade was crying into Kasanoda's chest as he hugged her tightly.

"Jade, how many times have you had a crush on someone?" He asked as he rubbed her back with one hand.

"W-we traveled so much… and Jesse was the only one near my age so…" Jade thought about it as she tried to calm down.

"So this is your first crush, right?" Kasanoda asked.

"I g-guess…" Jade replied, gasping slightly when she breathed, "I n-never thought of it."

"Then that's probably why you're so upset." He said, "The first times the hardest. I guess most people don't think of it that much cause their first times in Jr. High."

Jade didn't reply, instead she was trying to take deep breaths to calm herself down.

"I-I don't mean that in a bad way or anything." Kasanoda said, realizing Jade could have taken that the wrong way.

"It's okay." Jade said quietly, "I-its just the difference of being on the road so much, right?"

Kasanoda nodded, "Yea, I guess."

"God this sucks. My eyes hurt so much now." Jade said as she pushed herself away from him and rubbed her eyes.

"They may hurt for a while, you cried a lot." Kasanoda said, "Why don't I get you some water?"

"Okay." Jade said quietly, keeping her hands on her eyes.

"Where's your mom anyways?" Kasanoda asked as he walked into the kitchen.

"Her gallery I think." Jade replied as she laid down on the couch. "God I can't believe Mori got a girlfriend in a week. I guess I shouldn't be too surprised though, I mean, he's in that club where everyone basically flirts with one another."

"It doesn't seem like Mori-sempai though." Kasanoda said as he handed Jade the water.

-----

"You seem down Mori-sempai." Haruhi said as she and the other hosts ate their lunch in the club room.

A week had passed since Mori's kendo meet and he and the other host were in the club room discussing different ideas for the club.

"Jade-chan's been avoiding Takashi." Honey said. "Every time he tries to come near her she runs the other way."

"Really?" Haruhi replied with a confused look, "I wonder why. Was she able to give you the bento lunch?"

"You knew about the bento?" Mori asked turning his attention to her.

"Yea, I ran into her at the store last week. It was kind of late so I walked home with her. Kasanoda had been teaching her how to cook the week before." Haruhi explained.

"He was?" Honey gave her a surprised look, "Is that why Jade-chan left with him every day that week?"

"I guess." Haruhi said, "She had some bandages and scratches on her hands when we were at the store, I told her what she could do to help them heal faster. I thought she would have told you when she gave you the lunch."

"It was on the ground." Honey said, "When I saw Jade the food was all over the ground and she was crying when she ran away. We tried to talk to her at her house that day, but no one answered the door."

"Mori-sempai," Kyouya said, entering the conversation, "Was that girl Ichigo doing anything with you that Jade could have taken the wrong way?"

"Well…" Mori thought for a moment then replied, "Ichigo was clinging to my arm when we were trying to get through the crowd."

"Ichigo's friends." The twins said in unison.

"What?" Everyone except Kyouya gave the twins a curious look.

"I suspected something the day Ichigo insisted you sit next to the window." Kyouya said, "I thought it was strange that she was so insistent on that spot. Then when she started making comments about Jade and Kasanoda, needless to say I thought something was amiss."

"Kyouya-sempai asked us to keep an eye on Ichigo's friends when we could, their cousins too." The twins added.

"I see," Tamaki said, "Did you find anything out?"

"Well we found out the day Jade hurt her foot some of her class mates made wanted her to show them some acrobat things." Kaoru said.

"So Jade got on the back of a chair and had Casanova hold the chair down. Then these girls, who happen to be related to Ichigo and her friends, started saying things they knew would make them mad and Casanova let go of the chair while Jade was still on it." Hikaru continued.

"When Jade fell she hurt her ankle so Casanova carried her to the nurse. About that time Mori-sempai came by and saw that. Right?" Kaoru asked.

Mori nodded.

"And after that some girls started making comments that they were a cute couple or something like that, right?" Hikaru asked.

Mori nodded again.

"That was the same day that Ichigo was saying something about confessions letters, wasn't it?" Tamaki said as he looked at the other hosts.

"That's right." Kyouya said.

"What made you suspect her Kyouya-sempai?" Haruhi asked.

"She was obviously jealous of Jade." Kyouya said, "News about Mori-sempai taking Jade to Cuirque de la Nuit traveled quickly and Ichigo is one of the girls that ask the most for Mori-sempai. The way she acted with the fact she started asking for Mori more merely confirmed my suspicion."

"But Jade and Kasanoda--" Mori started.

"They're just friends sempai." The twins said, "Everyone we've talked to does think they'd make a cute couple, but they also agreed it wouldn't happen because neither of them have flirted with the other."

"But they go to and from school with each other." Honey said.

"We asked Kasanoda about that himself." Hikaru said, "He said he didn't like the idea of her walking by herself so much."

"But why would Ichigo-sempai do all that?" Haruhi asked.

"Simple," Kyouya replied, "She somehow convinced herself that she'll be the one Mori dates."

-----

Meanwhile, in Jade and Kasanoda's class, the classroom was buzzing with chatter about a ski trip.

"Are you going to come Jade-chan?" A girl asked her.

"I dunno." Jade replied, "I've never done anything like that before."

"You should try." Kasanoda said, taking a bite of his sandwich, "I think you'd like snowboarding."

"I don't think I could afford it though." Jade said as she looked from him to the girl, "I don't wanna ask dad for more money, this school was expensive enough as it is."

"I'll pay for you." Kasanoda offered with a smile, "I think you could use the time away from everything."

"Wow! You'd really do that for her?" The girl beamed, "That's so nice of you!"

Kasanoda blushed as he looked around awkwardly.

"Are you sure?" Jade asked as he looked at him curiously.

"Yea." Kasanoda nodded. "I can teach you to snowboard."

"Okay then," Jade said with a smile, "I'll go."

"That's great!" The girl chirped before running over to the class president.

"It's nice to see you smile again." Kasanoda said, taking another bite of his sandwich.

"Y-yea," Jade looked around awkwardly. "By the way, when's the ski trip?"

"Two days." A near by student replied.

"WHAT?!?"


	7. Authors Note

Hi everyone!

I know it's been a while since I've updated this story and I'm really sorry about that. Things have been kind of busy over here so it's cut into my writing time, then on top of that I can't think of what to write next in this story. If anyone has any suggestions I'd be happy to here them –smiles-

Thanks for your patients!

-Nana Sora


	8. Chapter 7

"…_Everybody wants some one to love, somebody they can trust, somebody they can touch, everybody want to give their heart away…" _The girls sang along loudly to a cd in the lobby of the large ski resort.

Jade groaned quietly as she took another card from the deck. She was sitting near the fireplace playing poker with Kasanoda. Everyone seemed to be scattered about the lobby as they waited for the others to check in.

"Want me to ask them to keep it down?" Kasanoda asked as he gave her a concerned look.

"No, its fine." Jade sighed as she tried to focus on her cards, "Even if love songs make me want to punch a wall lately that doesn't mean they should have a bad time just cause of me."

"Still…" Kasanoda said quietly.

A loud squeal got the attention of both teens. Jade's eyes widened as she saw a swarm of girls surround the Host Club.

"What are _they _doing here?" Jade hissed as she buried her nose in her cards.

Although Jade didn't feel like her heart could take seeing Mori, she still tried to find him through the corner of her eyes. Mori seemed like he was trying to find someone. Was he looking for her? Jade shook her head violently, cursing herself for starting to get her own hopes up.

Even though Jade only saw Ichigo clinging to Mori's arm and Mori saying something to her, it was still enough to let her imagination wander. Images of Mori with his arm around Ichigo, the two of them holding hands, Mori flirting with her at the club, all sorts of images like that would play in Jade's head.

Jade felt her chest tighten as the images began playing in her head again.

"Why…?" She hissed quietly.

Kasanoda set his cards down and moved closer to her. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly.

"It'll get better Jade, I promise." He said gently.

"I wish it didn't hurt this much." Jade said through a forced laugh as she clung to him.

It was then that Mori finally found Jade. Pain stabbed his heart as he watched the red head rub Jades' back. Even knowing now that Jade and Kasanoda were only friends, he couldn't help but wonder if the thought had ever crossed Jades' mind. After all, in a way, they really did make a cute couple; the mob boss's son that everyone feared and the girl that didn't fear anything.

'_Maybe they should be together.' _Mori thought. _'What if he makes her happier?' _

"Jade-chan, may I ask you something?" Kanako asked as she tucked a lock of her short brown hair behind her ear.

"Go for it." She replied as she looked at her new roommate.

"Are you and Kasanoda dating?"

"What?" Jade turned bright red, "What in the world gave you that idea?"

"Well," Kanako said, "it's just you two are always together and with the way he was hugging you today…"  
"No, no, no," Jade said as she shook her head. "He was only doing that cause…"

With that, Jade explained everything to Kanako from the time she had met Mori to the hug Kasanoda had given her that morning.

"Oh my," Kanako, who was now sitting on the edge of the bed with Jade, said as she placed her hand on Jade shoulder, "I'm so sorry to here that Jade-chan. Though, that really doesn't sound like something Mori-sempai would do."

"I don't know…" Jade sighed as she buried her face in her hands, "It's the first time I've ever had a crush on someone. I have no idea what to think anymore."

"You've really never had a crush on someone before?" Kanako asked.

"No," Jade shook her head, "Growing up in the circus the only person that was close to my age was just my twin brother."

"What about Kasanoda?" Kanako offered, "You two really seem to get along well and you always seem so happy together."

"Me and Red?" Jade arched an eyebrow as she looked at the brunette, "I haven't really thought about it before."

The next day Kasanoda couldn't help laughing at Jade as she tried to keep her balance on her snowboard. Jade gave a small yelp as she fell back on her butt for what seemed like the umpteenth time that afternoon.

"How can you stay on a high wire but you can't keep your balance on a snow board?" Kasanoda teased.

"Oh shut up," Jade said, sticking her tongue out at him, "At least on a high wire my feet aren't strapped to a board."

Kasanoda laughed as he helped her to her feet again. The sound of cheers, ooh's, and ah's, caught the two teens attention. When they looked over they saw Mori in the air on his own snow board. Jade watched as he landed perfectly before sliding to a stop. With the loud sound of squeals, several girls ran over to him, their voices blended in a tangled incomprehensible sound.

"Why don't we go back to the inn?" Kasanoda suggested.

Jade nodded, not saying anything as she took the snow board off her feet.

Mori frowned as he watched Jade walk away with Kasanoda. It seemed like Tamaki and the twins' suggestion of getting her attention that way didn't work.

"Darn," Tamaki snapped his fingers, "I thought for sure that would have gotten her attention."

He and the other members of the Host Club were watching from a distance.

"It was worth a shot." The twins said with a shrug.

"Jade-chan must feel really hurt if she's still trying to avoid Takashi." Honey said as he hugged his rabbit with a frown.

"Perhaps a more direct approach would work best." Kyouya suggested.

"Kyouya-sempai's right." Haruhi said, "If they could just talk about this maybe they could work it out."

"That's it!" Tamaki exclaimed, "We need to make a plan to get the two of them alone together!"

Later that night, while the hosts were trying to come up with a plan, Tamaki over heard one of the guests talking with a man at the front desk.

"Please sir," The young woman said, "my raccoon got out of my room and I can't find him anywhere."

"I'm sorry miss," The man said, "I haven't seen him anywhere all I can do right now is have the staff keep an eye out for him."

"Excuse me miss," Tamaki said as he approached the woman, "I couldn't help over hearing you lost your pet…"  
Meanwhile, Jade and Kasanoda, who had already talked with the woman, were already looking for the raccoon. Kasanoda scratched the back of his head as he looked around the empty dining hall.

"I just got an idea," Jade said, "what if the little guy found the attic?"

"Attic?" Kasanoda raised an eye brow at her.

"Or upstairs storage or whatever they're calling it." Jade said.

"But all that's on the top floor is rooms." Kasanoda said.

"How do you know?"

"My room's on the top floor."

"Oh." Jade bit her bottom lip. "Well, there has to be a storage room some where right? What if someone was in there and they didn't realize the raccoon fallowed them?"

"I don't," Kasanoda said, "I would think it would go after food."

"Well we've looked everywhere else with no luck." Jade replied, "I'm going to go find the storage area and I'll meet you in the lobby in an hour, okay?"

Kasanoda hesitated at first but eventually agreed.

After some looking, Jade finally found the storage room. She looked around to make sure no one was watching before making her way to the door. It was that moment that the twins noticed the curly haired girl go into the storage room. The two grinned at each other as they ran to find Mori.

Kasanoda had just started to walk out of the dining hall when he bumped into Mori.

"Mori-sempai…" Kasanoda blinked as he stared at him.

"Uh… Sorry," Mori said as he looked around awkwardly.

"Mori-sempai I need to ask you something." Kasanoda said before he thought about it.

Mori looked at him with a surprised look as Kasanoda gave him a serious look.

"What are your feelings for Jade?" Kasanoda bluntly asked.

"Um, well…" Mori blushed as he looked away then back to the red haired boy. "I… I like her. A lot."

"Well you've got a funny way of showing it." Kasanoda replied.

Mori blinked then asked, "What about you? Do you like Jade too?"

"Well I…" Kasanoda went as red as his hair, "I do like her, a lot too. I'm not the one she likes though."

Kasanoda clenched his fists as the two stood in awkward silence.

"Sempai, do you even _want_ to be with Jade?" Kasanoda asked.

"Of course I do." Mori replied.

"I'm sorry…" Kasanoda said as he looked down.

Mori gave him a confused looked before Kasanodas' fist collided with his jaw, knocking him back a couple steps. Mori held his jaw as he stared at the boy with confusion.

"Fight for her if you care so much then!" Kasanoda exclaimed, "I do like Jade, but she likes you more. If you're not even going to fight for her then I'll wait until she's over you to tell her how I feel, but if you care as much as you say you do then fight! Forget what people say, forget all the damn rumors about us! If you're ready to quit now then how do you expect to stay with her when shit hits the fan?"

Mori stood in shock as he stared at Kasanoda. He never expected to hear this from him, let alone get punched by the boy. Kasanoda sighed as he shook his head.

"I mean it sempai." He said, "If you're not going to fight for her I've got no problem waiting for her."

With that, Mori watched as the other boy walk away.

_Thank you all for being so patient on waiting for updates. Things are settling down over here now, I'm done with moving for a bit and things are getting back to normal so hopefully I can update more soon. And a special thanks to my friend Emiko Saki who helped me with ideas for this chapter!_

_Thanks for reading!_

_~ Nana Sora_


	9. Chapter 8

Mori wasn't sure what happened, he was watching Kasanoda walk away then out of no where the twins grabbed him, saying something about he needed to come with them, and now he was locked in the storage room. The storage room was a dark brown color with dark wood floors and several metal shelves filled with neatly organized things. Why did the twins lock him in here?

"Superman?"

Mori turned to see Jade poking her head around a tall shelf.

"Jade?" He blinked as he stared at her in surprise, "What are you doing here?"

"I-I'm looking for a raccoon." She said as she bit her bottom lip.

Jade felt as if her heart would beat out of her chest as she watched him. _'Why does he have to be here?' _she thought to herself.

"So am I." Mori said awkwardly.

He rubbed the back of his neck as he looked around. There were so many things that he wanted to tell Jade, but now that she was standing in front of him he couldn't think of any of them.

"Well, he's not here." Jade said as she quickly walked passed him and to the door, "I've got to go-"

Jade tried to turn the knob but it wouldn't turn. She tried again and again but the cold handle only jiggled.

"Jade…" Mori said as he reached out and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Don't!" Jade snapped as she slapped his hand away.

Mori's eyes widened in surprise, he never expected Jade to react like that.

"J-just stay away from me Mori." Jade said as she kept her head down.

Jade could feel her eyes starting to swell with tears, but she didn't want Mori to see. Mori frowned as he stared at the girl.

'_It's my fault she feels this bad.' _Mori thought to himself. _'Maybe she _would_ be better off being with Kasanoda.' _

Jade quickly walked passed Mori and back around the shelf she had emerged from. Silently, Mori fallowed her. Either Jade was ignoring him or she just hadn't noticed that he was fallowing her. Either way, Mori continued fallowing her, trying to figure out the best way to talk to her.

Awkward silence drifted between the two teens as the walked around the storage room. After what seemed like an eternity Jade finally turned to Mori, her fists balled up as she looked up at him.

"Why are you fallowing me?" She exclaimed, "If Ichigo found out about this she'd get really upset and I don't want to be that girl! I don't want to be the one people warn their friends to stay away from cause they think I'll try taking their boyfriend! Why did you make me think you liked _me _if Ichigo is the one you like? If I would have known that then I wouldn't have let myself get a crush on you!"

Mori felt a twinge of guilt as he listened to Jade. If he had only told her sooner that he liked her then maybe Ichigo's actions wouldn't have become an issue like it had.

"God, I like you so much Mori," The girl cried as tears started to stream down her cheeks, "I know what everyone says about me and Red, but it's not true! All I wanted to do was make a lunch for you but my cooking sucks, so I had red teach me, but even that didn't help. When I finally got it right I wanted to surprise you, then I over slept, and when I got there Ichigo was clinging to you-"

Before Mori could stop to think, he placed his hands on her shoulders and kissed her. Jade froze, eyes wide as she felt the warmth of his lips against her own. Mori pulled away slowly and that's when Jade saw the forming tears in his eyes.

"I _do _like you Jade." He said, "I like you a lot. I've never had any feelings for Ichigo; she's just a girl in my class. That day she was clinging to me I kept telling her to let me go. _You're _the girl I like Jade."

Mori felt like his heart was beating a mile a minute as he was blushing. He recalled Kasanoda's words, 'If you're not going to fight for her I've got no problem waiting for her'. The thought of Jade being with anyone else broke Mori's heart. If he didn't tell her now, he didn't know when he would have a chance to tell her again.

"But wha-"

As Mori stared into her bright blue eyes he said, "I want you to be my girlfriend."


	10. Chapter 9

"You… what?" Jade stared at him, dumb founded.

"I want you to be my girlfriend." Mori repeated as his face began to glow bright red, "I don't want to be with any girl that isn't you and I don't want to see you with another guy. I… I want to be the one you call your boyfriend. Jade I-"

The sound of the door opening echoed through the storage room.

"Hello?" A voice called out, "Is anyone here?"

A worker from the resort came around the corner.

"I thought as much," The employee laughed, "Let me guess, some of the other students locked you in here as a joke right?"

"Y-yea…" Jade said as she looked down. "I-I-I gotta go!"

With that Jade ran out of the storage room and ran straight for her room. Mori stood there, staring after Jade. She never answered him. Did that mean she was turning him down?

Jade slammed the door of her room and sank to the floor. Mori had asked her out. That's exactly what she wanted to hear, so why did she run away?

"Jade-chan?" A soft voice caught her attention.

Jade looked up to see Kanako looking at her in confusion.

"What's wrong Jade-chan? Did something happen?"

"M-Mori asked me out." Jade said as she looked at the other girl with a frightened expression.

"Isn't that a good thing though?" Kanako asked as she walked over to her.

"I-I thought it would be, b-but why doest that freak me out so much?" Jade asked as tears started to build in her eyes.

"Maybe it's because you're afraid?" Kanako offered.

"Afraid of what?" Jade asked, her confusion spreading.

"Well, you've never liked anyone before right?" Kanako said, "Maybe what you felt when you saw Ichigo with him makes you fear you'll have that feeling again."

"M-maybe…" Jade looked down as she thought about it.

"I know it's none of my business Jade-chan, but I think you should give Mori-sempai a chance." Kanako smiled at her. "No one really knows how things will turn out, but at least you two could make some fun memories, right?"

Jade sat quietly as she bit her bottom lip. What if she really was afraid of feeling so hurt again?

Mori sat quietly in the lobby, staring out the window as he ran the more recent event with Jade over and over in his mind. Did he do something wrong? Was it something he said?

"Did you tell her?" A voice brought him out of his thoughts.

He looked up to see Kasanoda staring at him.

"I did."

"What'd she say?" Kasanoda asked.

Mori was quiet for a moment, before he quietly replied, "She ran away."

"What?" Kasanoda gave him a confused look, "What do you mean she ran away?"

"An employee here came in the storage room right after I told her how I felt. Then she ran away." Mori explained.

"That doesn't make sense." Kasanoda said. "Do you want me to talk to her?"

Mori shook his head.

"Alright." Kasanoda said as he looked away.

The two sat in awkward silence for a few minutes before Kasanoda finally said something.

"She really does care about you, you know." He said, "When I was trying to teach her how to cook all she would say was how much she hoped you'd like what she made."

"Really?" Mori looked at the other boy.

Kasanoda nodded, "Yea. Give her some time; I'm sure she'll talk to you soon."

Later that night, Jade snuck out of her room and made her way down the dark halls of the resort. She remembered over hearing one of the girls gush over which room Mori and Honey were sharing. As she climbed the stairs to the boys floor, Jade hoped the girls were right.

When she finally found the door, she took a breath and lightly knocked on the door. Silence filled the hallway. She knocked a little louder as she held her breath, hoping this was the right room. After what seemed like an eternity, the door finally opened, revealing a grumpy looking Honey.

"S-sorry Honey, I didn't mean to wake you up, but is Mori here with you?" Jade asked quietly.

"He couldn't sleep." Honey growled, "He's down stairs in the lobby."

"Oh, okay, thanks." Jade said nervously, "Sorry I woke you up."

With a grumble, Honey shut the door and crawled back into his bed.

Jade made her way quietly down the stairs and to the lobby. There, Mori was sitting in front of the fireplace, watching the flames flicker.

"H-hey there Superman." Jade said quietly.

Mori jumped and turned to the curly haired girl.

"Jade… What are you doing up?" He asked.

"Shouldn't I ask you that?" She laughed as she sat down next to him.

"I couldn't sleep." He said as he moved over for her.

"I wanted to talk to you." Jade said, "But you have to close your eyes first."

"Why?"

"Just do it, okay?" She said with a small smile.

Mori shut his eyes, wondering what the girl could be up to. Suddenly, Mori felt a soft, warm pressure against his lips. When he opened his eyes he could see all of Jades eyelashes. He returned the pressure from his own lips as he shut his eyes. He wanted this kiss to last forever. When Jade began to pull away, he stole one more kiss before opening his eyes.

Jade was blushing as she looked down with a shy smile.

"I want to be your girlfriend." She said.


	11. Chapter 10

"Did you hear? That freshmen girl is dating Takashi Morinozuka!"

"What? Are you sure?"

Ouran Academy was buzzing with gossip after the students had returned from the ski trip. Word of Mori and Jade starting to date quickly spread through the school and seemed to be the most talked about thing for the day.

Jade, who had walked to school with Kasanoda as she always did, was waiting for Mori by the front gate. She shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other as she tried to ignore the glares and glances from other students.

"Don't worry about them." Kasanoda said as he watched one of the glaring girls.

"Hey Red…" Jade said hesitantly, "Are you okay?"

"Huh?" He turned to her, breaking his gaze from the other girl, "What do you mean?"

"You just seem quiet today." Jade said as she stared up at him, "You're real short and blunt whenever you reply to me; kind of like you're trying to kill the conversation."

"Oh," Kasanoda looked away awkwardly, "sorry…"

"So… Are you okay?" Jade gave him a concerned look.

"Yea," He said, trying not to look at her, "I guess I'm just tired."

Jade frowned as she stared at him.

Kasanoda looked back at her and sighed. "Don't worry about it."

"If something's bugging you, you can tell me. You know that right?" Jade asked.

"Look I said forget it, so just drop it, okay?" He snapped.

Jade jumped slightly at the harshness in his tone.

"Sorry…" She muttered as she looked down.

"Your boyfriend should be here soon." Kasanoda said with a sigh, "I'm going ahead to class."

Without waiting for Jade's reply, Kasanoda walked away. Jade frowned as she watched him walk away, wondering if she had done something to upset him.

Kasanoda sighed as he sat in the garden behind the school. _'Why did I just snap at her?' _He thought to himself. _'I already knew how she felt… God I'm such an idiot! I knew she wanted freakin' Mori-sempai but I still let myself fall for her! Why?' _

Kasanoda sighed in aggravation as he buried his face in his hands. He started to think about the Host Club and wondered if Mori would stay in the club now the he had a girlfriend. _'Would she be okay with that? Having a bunch of girls flirt with her boyfriend after school while she... what? What'll Jade do while Mori-sempai's at the club? Would she honestly be fine with that?' _

"Arg! What the hell?" Kasanoda shouted as he grabbed his head in frustration. "She deserves fucking better than that!"

"What are you screaming about?" A voice said behind him, making him jump.

Kasanoda turned to see Jade standing there. He frowned and looked away.

"Just leave me alone." He growled.

"No!" Jade snapped, "Look I can tell there's something bothering you so just tell me what it is!"

"No."

"Why not?" Jade asked, forcing him to turn and look at her, "You always helped me, so just let me help you!"

"You can't," He said, "Not this time."

"Why not?" Jade asked, looking at him with concern, "Is it a mob thing?"

"No…" He sighed.

"Then why can't I help?" She asked.

Kasanoda turned to her and stared into her blue eyes for a moment. Without thinking he pressed his lips to her own as he wrapped his arms around her tightly.


End file.
